the tournament
by stephencurry11
Summary: In the beginning, there were three main deities. Slowly they faded away. Now the most evil one has risen. Join Percy Jackson, Jason Grace and Carter Kane as they fight each other, their peers and the clock as they race for survival. Questions loom but the most important is, Who will win the tournament?
1. Prologue

Name: Richard Michael James McCarthy

Series: Sixteen

Book 1: The Tournament

**_The Tournament_**

**Prologue:**

In the beginning there was nothing. There was no universe. No people. No animals or plants. Just a barren span of nothingness. Then he appeared. No one knows how, why or when but it just happened. The creator, he who made the universe, and all its planets. He who made the people who inhabited these worlds and the animals and plants that thrived along with them. The creator's most important two creations were his two sons, Exodus and Genesis. Genesis who was just like the creator, he helped start things. Exodus who was his polar opposite, he helped end things.

These three deities were worshiped, envied and loved by all in the first age. But slowly they began disappear with the coming of the second age and the creation of the Egyptian gods. Soon, all traces of the original three deities began to disappear. They were no longer worshipped or believed in. Soon they began to fade away; they're powers diminishing till they were mere mortals.

Until he spoke Exodus's name. Until him, an evil hearted one resurrected Exodus's power, the end, the destroyer and the evil one was back. Death tolls increased. Mortals and the supernatural were killed at extreme rates in gruesome ways. The resurrecter and the evil hearted one began to spread his name. Fear was soon coursing through the veins of all, causing them to pray to their different gods.

Exodus became bored with the mortals and super naturals though. It was boring without Genesis creating more people for him to destroy, or his father, the creator breaking up their fights. So slowly he stopped his carnage and the population of earth rose. And three of these population "spikes" were Percy Jackson, Carter Kane and Jason Grace. When he felt their powers ripple through the galaxy, a slow smiled appeared on Exodus's face. He had found his new "playthings".


	2. Abduction

**Chapter 1: Abduction**

On a cloudy day in March, Exodus sat on an old wooden rocking chair he had just summoned. He was in the middle of a dessert somewhere on earth. He could easily find out but did not care. Exodus was thrilled currently. After all the challenges he sent the way of his three toys, they were finally ready. And they had a supporting cast he could play with. But what to do with them? He could make them eat each other or put them through tests like in that movie Hammer, or some tool like that. None of those options seemed like they would get the maximum enjoyment out of them. What to do, what to do. Exodus sighed and summoned a TV to see if there was anything to help him on there. That where he had seen the Nail movie. He summoned a remote and clicked 1 on it. A couple of people were talking about something madness. Exodus grinned. He like madness, so he turned up the volume. "Yes Tom, I agree. This year March Madness tournament should be intense and entertaining. This year's tourney should excite with Uconn being the early favorite in both the men's and women's brackets." Confused, Exodus snapped his fingers and a Smartphone appeared. "Google what is March Madness" he said in his old gravelly voice. The phone took a minute and then replied "Events surrounding the single-elimination Division I college basketball tournaments performed each spring in the United States. The main tournaments involved are the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship and the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship. The nickname "March Madness" for these championships developed during the 20th century and was the origin of the video and television applications of the nickname." Interesting, Exodus thought to himself. A tournament in which teams' battle to see who the best is. What if….. Exodus grinned. He had an idea and a lot of work to do.

Percy Jackson was sleeping peacefully in his cabin when he heard a scream. He crept out of bed, wide awake. What was going on at this time of night? Was it a stupid prank pulled by the Stolls? Or was it more sinister? Whatever it was, Percy was going to find out. Led by the light of his fountain, he grabbed his pen sword. He crept out the door, arms tensed, ready for a fight. Or as ready you can be in sea horse pajamas. Creeping past the weapons shed, Percy continued his search for trouble. Another scream rang out. It was ANNABETH! Horrified Percy ran towards the sound of her voice. "Annabeth" he screamed. "Annabeth". Another scream rang out. It was …Piper? "Piper where are you" Percy shouted. Yet another scream. "Leo"? What was happening to his friends? He heard a yell from Nico this time. Suddenly the whole Dining Pavilion was illuminated, a horrible sight greeted Percy's eyes. A man around 6 feet tall with sunglasses and brown hair was holding Annabeth by the throat in the air. She was struggling to escape. He glanced around the whole pavilion and realized that _the same man _holding all of his friends in the same manner. They each had duck tape around their mouths. Out of the exit of the pavilion came a man. This guy was wearing a white t shirt with blue jeans and held a sword in his right hand. He had dark hair and an evil sneer on his face. Just like his other goons, he had sunglasses on his face. Percy now realizing he was in a lot of danger uncapped his pen and his sword _Anaklusmos _appeared. "Who are you" Percy angrily asked. The man with his sword _Identical _to Percy's grinned. "You and your friends of course". Confused, Percy asked the man why. The man grinned and pulled off his sunglasses. His eyes were black, pure evil. "Do you know who I am" the man asked. Percy cringed as he looked into his eyes. A memory of Octavian coming to camp and "preaching" about how he had resurrected…. Exodus. With horror Percy realized all the jokes and jabs taken at him were horribly misguided. "Exodus" Percy breathed out. "Precisely my boy". Exodus replied with. Percy was shaking with fear. Why would Octavian resurrect a guy like this? Was he hoping that this guy would take over Camp and kill the Greeks? But then why would he warn them? Percy stared at Exodus and said "What do you want with us", gesturing to his friends, who were now safely on the ground but still held tightly so they couldn't escape. "Mr. Jackson, I'll offer you a deal" he said now twirling his sword around and slowly pacing back and forth. "I'll let you and your friends go, if you beat me in a sword fight. If I win I take you and your friends without question". Percy was scared out of his mind. From what Octavian had said, Exodus was pure evil. He was the destroyer; he had been the original bad guy. How could Percy fight a guy like this? He had to try. Percy grimaced and said "I'll fight you". Exodus grinned. "Excellent Mr. Jackson. I don't believe I've fought a man of your caliber since the first age". Percy didn't know what that meant but slowly approached Exodus. Percy took the offensive at first. He swung and missed at Exodus who leapt back. He took the next swing. Blow after blow, Percy could barely defend himself. He knew he was going to lose his fight, and there was no water to revive him and help his offensive attack. Exodus was grinning and seemed to sense victory. Percy couldn't let him win. If he took him and his friends, horror definitely awaited them. Percy remembered the disarming move that Luke had taught him so long ago. It had saved his life countless times and hopefully this time too. Percy countered Exoduses move and then performed the disarming move. Exoduses sword flew out of his hand. He looked stunned and was glaring at his hand liked it betrayed him. There was something else in his eyes too. Was it…..Fear? Percy quickly placed the point of his sword on Exodus's chest. Anger was in his eyes. It was like an inferno, that Percy no longer wanted to stare at. He slowly began to back up when Exodus snapped his fingers. Suddenly, there was a man holding Percy, his hand over Percy's mouth. "Impressive Mr. Jackson" Exodus began. "Clever move to disarm me. I clearly chose well" he said with a very psychotic look on his face. Percy was attempting to scream things into this guys hand to no avail. Exodus had cheated! If he took them now, he would have gone back on his word. "I'm sorry Mr. Jackson", Exodus said, starting to pace. I must kidnap you and leave my friends", he said, gesturing to his goonies which held the Greeks hostage, " in your place, so no one knows of your absence". Percy was screaming now. He couldn't let this happen! Why did Exodus want them? Did he ever get a break? Before Percy could scream any of these questions and more, Exodus smirked and snapped his fingers. Everything went dark and Percy blacked out.

Jason Grace was having an excellent day. Nothing bad had happened today. No trouble, no mischief. The sun was setting beautifully and he got to spend time with the other praetor/ his girlfriend, Reyna. Octavian had been gone for weeks because he was going crazy about this exit or something like that. All was right with the world. "So Reyna" Jason began. "Are you enjoying watching the sunset with your awesome boyfriend"? Reyna just smiled and nodded. Jason stared at her for a moment. She was perfect in every way. Jason kissed her softly on the cheek and they continued to watch the sunset, peacefully. Until a scream rang out. Jason frowned. What was going on? The scream had come from the bottom of the hill, which the two praetors were on. Jason whispered to Reyna, "I'm going to check that out". Reyna simply nodded and got off of Jason's lap. Jason took his coin from his pocket and flipped it. He now held his golden sword as he crept down the hill, looking for trouble. He reached to bottom of the hill and no one was there. That's odd, Jason thought to himself. Some idiot must be playing a prank on me. He was about to go back up when he noticed something shiny, glinting in the darkness. He reached down to pick it up but stopped himself. It was one of Hazel's jewels. She must have been the one screaming. But why, Jason thought to himself. A million questions were looming in his head until another scram rang out, this one much more urgent. And it came from the top of the hill and sounded like Reyna. Reyna! She was still up there. Jason sprinted up the hill as fast as he could. His girlfriend was in danger. Once he got up there, a surprise greeted his eyes. Reyna was gone and where she was sitting lay her dagger. Now, Jason was mad. What the hell was going on? This no longer seemed like a prank, and if it was, he would pulverize the people responsible. Another scream rang out, this time at the bottom of the hill. Angrily, Jason stormed down there. No one but this time, something was next to Hazel's jewel. And it most certainly didn't belong there. It was Frank firewood. Jason was stunned. Frank would leave his firewood just sitting somewhere. No longer did Jason believe this was a prank. Something serious was happening and Jason didn't know what or why. Another scream rang out, this time at the top of the hill. Alright, Jason had had enough of this. "Whoever's out their Show yourself" He screamed. Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He whirled around. No one was there. Jason whirled in a circle. No one. His heart was pounding in his chest. What was going on? Suddenly he was surrounded by four people. They all wore masks, similar to the ones worn in the movie "The Purge". "Hello" they all croaked in the same gravelly voice. Jason was scared out of his mind. What the hell was going on? The four purge people slowly moved forward. They grabbed at him and Jason began to scream. "Help" "Help". Then Jason grew tired and thought I need a nap. He drowsily smiled at one of the figures who took his mask off and revealed him to be…..Jason Grace. That was the last Jason saw as he drifted off.

Carter Kane wearily rubbed his eyes and walked into his bedroom, yawning. It had been a long day at the Brooklyn house, with teaching and training and all that. He groggily changed into pajama bottoms and went to bed shirtless. He closed his eyes and just as he was about to fall asleep, a knock came at his door. Carter thought about staying in bed. He really didn't want to talk to ever that was, even if it was Zia. His body betrayed his mind and he got up. He opened the door wide and peered down both ends of the hallway. He saw a flash of red at the end of the hallway and frowned. Clearly someone had knocked on his and ran away, like a dumb prank. Carter was not in the mood for shanigans, but he wearily trudged down the hall, in search for the red person. He took a right into the kitchen and once again saw a flash of red at the corner. Carter frowned, not at all enjoying this wild goose chase and picked up the pace, wanting badly to figure out who was pulling this crap on him. His fast walk turned into a jog, his jog turned into a run and his run turned into a sprint. He still couldn't catch this person or being, whatever it was. Now, with his hands on his knees, Carter was breathing heavy. What happened to a nice night of sleeping? Carter was slightly surprised by the fact that he hadn't woken up anyone yet. If he woke up Sadie, he knew she would turn him into cheese or something for interrupting her beauty sleep. Carter grinned now feeling like a genius. The red person must be Sadie! He would go to her room and when she came back, he would scare the crap out of her. It was perfect. Carter slowly and quietly made his way back to the corridor with all the bedrooms in it. Carter approached the one labeled "Sadie". He slowly opened the door and grinned. Sadie wasn't in her bed. His hunch had been correct! He crept under her bed and grinned. His plan was to grab her foot when she went to go to sleep. So he waited. And waited. And waited some more. Sadie never showed up which had Carter worried. Where was she? He got up from beneath the bed and decided to go to Uncle Amos who was had stopped by, for help. Carter walked into Amos room, for it was wide open. Not a soul was in there. That's odd, Carter thought to himself. They must be in the library. So he went to the library. They weren't their either. He checked the kitchen, the great room to no avail. Now Carter was worried. What was going on? He decided to go to Walt for help, because he was Sadie's boyfriend and probably knew what was up. He walked down to Walt's room. He opened the door and the room was empty. Not one person was there. Carter was seriously sweating now and shaking with fear. What was going on? Carter was shaking with fear and trepidation as he went to his girlfriend Zia's room. Please be there he prayed to Horus. Please be there. He opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Zia was snoring in her bed, her chest slowly going up and down and she looked as beautiful as ever. Carter was so happy he didn't notice the man that had been standing behind the door. Nor did he notice when the man picked p the lamp and raised it over his head, about to slam it upon Carter's head. Carter was so worried about his other friends and happy to see Zia that he barely felt the first blow. He whipped his hurt head around to see a figure with a blunt, lamp shaped object in his hand. Carter was about to scream when his head was bashed again by the lamp. He crumbled to his knees, pain spreading through his body. A third blow to the side of his head knocked him to the ground and he sent a quick prayer to Horus before darkness overcame him.

Exodus closed his eyes and grinned when he felt Carter Kane lose conciseness, thanks to his master plan. Everything was falling into place. He already had Jackson and the Greeks, Grace and the Romans and soon he would have Kane and the Egyptians. Exodus grinned again. Everything was falling into place.


	3. Four Rooms

**Chapter 3: Four Rooms**

Room 1

Percy Jackson woke up in a room that was completely white. There were no windows and the walls and ground were while tiles. Also there were three other people in the room with him, two of which he knew. Frank Zhang sat in the chair across from him and Piper Mclean sat on his left. Next to Frank, sat a beautiful olive skinned girl whom he had never met. "Piper" Percy shouted urgently. He was scared out of his mind. Where the heck were they? What had happened to Exodus and the people that were going to replace them? They had to get back to camp! Instead of Piper waking the olive skinned girl awoke. "Where am I" She yelled struggling against the chains that chained her to her chair. "Carter help" she screamed, now waking Piper and Frank who groggily looked around. "Where the hells are we" Piper asked looking to Percy for answers. Percy shrugged and said "Exodus must of took us here after our fight". The olive skin girl glared at Percy. "Who are you people" she angrily said. "How did I get here and who is Exodus". Percy strained against his chains. He tried to call upon water to no avail. He glanced at Frank to see him deep in concentration, trying to turn into an animal."Well" the olive girl said. Percy sighed and said "I'm Percy Jackson, from Camp half blood. This is Piper Mclean from Camp Half-blood. That is Frank Zhang from Camp Jupiter". The girl snorted and said "He's From Jupiter". Piper laughed and Frank frowned. "Who are you" Frank asked. The girl sighed and said "I'm Zia Rashid member of the twenty first Nome. I'm the host of Ra and I take it you're not Egyptians". Percy's mind buzzed. The girl had yelled Carter when she woke up. Could she be referring to Carter Kane, the boy he had fought against and with a couple months ago? And carter had mentioned…..Egyptians. Suddenly Percy went from scared to horrified. He had figured out something he knew he must not know. Another enemy or friend, just like the Romans. He shuddered and said "We are Greeks" gesturing to Piper and himself. "He's a roman" Percy said gesturing to Frank. Zia looked horrified. "There are other…..Gods". Percy nodded and said "We were never supposed to meet but Exodus brought us here knowing that". "Exodus is this original bad guy who destroys shit" Frank said before the girl could ask who he was. Zia looked even more horrified if that was possible. "I assume he's one of your gods" She said to Frank. Frank shook his head. "I was going to say the same to you". Percy was thinking similar to Frank. "I've never heard of a god named Exodus" Zia replied. No one spoke for a few minutes before Percy said "Well how about we get to know you Zia since we already know each other" gesturing to his two friends. Zia shook her head indicating no. Percy sighed. This was going to be a boring abduction.

Room 2

Sadie Kane woke up in a white room with no windows, and she was tied to a chair, next to a boy. He was drooling which was not cute in anyway, so she wasn't interested. You have a boyfriend she reminded herself. But back to the problem at hand, where the hell was she? Who were the people around her? Across from her sat two girls. It appeared that Sadie was the only one awake. "Hey" She screamed loudly, stirring the three strangers around her. The boy one her right awoke and sent her a maniacal grin that seemed flirtatious. "Hey beautiful" he said with a smile. "Leo stop flirting with…" the girl in front of her said. "C'mon Thalia, I'm sure she likes it" He replied with and sent another flirty smile to her. Sadie wished she could destroy this kid, but her chains held her down. "My name is Sadie and I have a boyfriend" she said angrily to the kid known as Leo. Leo grinned and said "I have a test on the _Odyssey._ Lets both cheat". Sadie tried using a magic spell to turn this annoying piece of garbage into chesse or something. He was more annoying than Carter. Speaking of Carter, where was he? Where was she? Who were these people? "I'm Thalia by the way" the girl said snapping Sadie out of her thoughts. Thalia had electric blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. She was pretty. The other girl was listening intently to the conversation. She had chocolate brown eyes and tan skin, probably Spanish. "Who are you" Sadie asked. The girl kept a calm composure look and said "Reyna Ramos". Sadie nodded and Leo said "Sweet I'm locked in a room with three sexy chicks". He was smirking. Sadie, Thalia and Reyna all glared at Leo who shrunk back as much as a person could in chains. "I have a boyfriend" she angrily repeated. "I have a boyfriend" Reyna also said. Thalia glared at him before saying "I'm an eternal maiden. You don't have a chance with me". Sadie smiled at the two girls who smiled back. She could get along with these two. Leo kept his trademark grin up and said "I have an "_Odyssey"_ test tomorrow. How about we both cheat". All three girls sighed. If Leo kept it up, he would be dead before they left this room, chains or not.

Room 3

Jason Grace woke up chained to a chair. The room was completely black, he couldn't see a thing. "Hello. Is anyone there"? He heard shuffling to the right and a familiar voice said "Jason is that you? Jason grinned now considerably calmer. "How's it going Annabeth"? She smirked and said "Not so good Jason Are you chained up too?" Jason nodded and realized she couldn't see him. "Yes". I can't seem to use my powers either." Annabeth grimaced. Not good she thought to herself. A voice rang out that scared the both of them. "Where am I"? The voice had come from the left, most likely in front of Annabeth. Jason frowned. He had never heard that voice before and judging by Annabeth's silence she didn't know who it was. "Um…Who was that"? Annabeth asked. The guy took a moment before saying "I'm Walt Stone member of the twenty first Nome. Which Nome are you from and where are we"? Jason grimaced and felt another pair of eyes on him. But from where? "Who's there?" Jason called out. Annabeth murmured something and another voice rang out. "Impressive picking up on my prescience, Jason". Jason curiously said, "Who are you". The Walt kid said "Amos where are we and who are they". Annabeth retorted by saying "We could say the same to you". Silence for a couple of moments before Amos said "We are in a dark room. I am Amos, member of the first Nome and the Chief Lector. Your turn". Annabeth and Jason paused, confused. What were these Nomes? Annabeth decided to answer for them. "I'm Annabeth and that's Jason. He's a son of Jupiter and I'm a daughter of Athena. Walt gasped like he was shocked by their lineage. Amos seemed confused by the tone of his voice. "Who is Jupiter and who is Athena"? Jason replied. "Jupiter is the god of the sky and Athena is the god of wisdom. Athena is Greek and Athena is the god of wisdom. "What are a chief lector and these Nome things" Jason asked. Amos answered with a laugh. "I take it you're an outcast of some sort". Jason frowned not liking the wording of that. Suddenly Walt's eyes glowed bright white and his voice turned gravely and older. "They are not Egyptian Amos. They are second and third rate demigods". He said the words with such anger and hatred that it surprised Jason. Annabeth, always being prideful, said "We are not second and third rate. The Greeks came first." Walt still in angry old man mode angrily replied with "You claim to be the wisdom goddesses' daughter, yet you have no knowledge of history. Such things are always the way of you prideful Greeks. Mind your tongue girl. You're lucky I'm not able to get out of these chains." Annabeth gasped in realization of what Walt had said. "You're a….Your a…." She stuttered and couldn't spit it out. "What" Jason asked? He could practically smell the fear rolling off of her. Amos voiced in after a while of silence. "I understand now. The legends are true". He sounded horrified which was not promising. "I still don't get it" Jason said. Walt rolled his eyes and said "Don't you get it you foolish boy. We are Egyptian".

Room 4

Carter Kane woke up in a room that was a dark as the blackness that had overcome him when he had been knocked out in Zia's room. Zia! Was she okay and where was she? Where was Carter? "Zia" he urgently called out. "Who's Zia" a feminine voice called out. "My girlfriend" Carter replied. "Who are you"? The girl waited a moment before saying "Hazel Levesque". "Who are you?" Carter hesitated, not knowing this girl, but they were in the same situation so he softened. "I'm Carter Kane, Pharaoh of Egypt and member of the twenty Nome." "Gnomes, your part of a Gnome" a new voice piped up, clearly a guy. Carter smiled remembering the first time he had made that assumption. Hazel was also happy. The boy sitting next to her was Nico. Another voice rang out, this time on Carter's right. "Oh no. It's happening". The guy was clearly scared and Carter wondered why. He was scared, but he wasn't about to admit that in front of strangers. Hazel gasped. "Octavian. I thought you were dead". The boy known as Octavian kept muttering things to himself clearly in a panic. "I should have never resurrected him" he said shocked. Hazel gasped, now realizing what Octavian had been spreading around camp was true. That Exodus man was real. Octavian had resurrected him. "Octavian how could you resurrect him" she said burning in anger. Nico spoke up. "Wait what. Who did Octavian resurrect"? Carter was confused. How could you resurrect someone? Octavian then said "It's over for all of us. He is the destroyer. We are never leaving. He will kill us all." Nico and Carter were all confused. What was Octavian talking about? Who was this destroyer guy? "OK Octavian, star at the beginning. Who is Exodus"? Hazel asked. Octavian shook himself out of his stupor and said "I didn't do it alone. I swore on the river Styx that I wouldn't tell anyone. Pray to Jupiter that you don't find out, because when you do he'll kill you and anyone you tell. You're in for a huge shock. He wants the Greeks killed more than I do." Nico murmured some nasty things and Octavian cleared his throat and continued. "I we get out of this, he'll kill me so I don't tell. "He'll kill the Greeks with Exodus. He'll kill all of us". Octavian exclaimed with a cackle that had the three others puzzled and worried.

Exodus grinned from his control room which monitored the four rooms and its members. They are all interesting people, he thought to himself. Octavian though, he thought curiously. How does he know so much about me? He would have to interrogate. Exodus smirked and began to make preparations.


	4. The Meeting and Intergation

**Chapter 3: The Meeting and Interrogation**

Exodus walked down to the gym in his base and summoned his soldiers to get his prisoners. He grinned as the first group was brought in, chained up. He saw as Zia whispered something to Jackson and he nodded. Exodus sent them both waves and they gave heated glares back. "Sit on the left bleachers" Exodus called out. His soldiers moved them up there. Next, group two came in. The Valdez kid appeared to be annoying the three girls around, who looked like they were going to skin him. Exodus grinned. He liked that kid. When the second group noticed the first, all hell broke loose. They're was yelling and screaming until Exodus screamed "SILENCE" just as the second group sat down in front of the first and the third entered. The Walt boy and Annabelle were staring at each other with pure rage in their eyes, while Amos and Grace seemed to have mutual respect for each other. "Sit on the right bleachers" Exodus called out. They did so quietly, not paying attention to the other groups. Finally, the last group came in. This group intrigued Exodus the most. The children of Hades seemed to get along well with the Carter boy. But something about the Octavian boy struck Exodus the wrong way. There was something wrong with him and Exodus needed to find out. "Attention Everyone" Exodus said from a chair at the bottom of the gym. Every Greek, Roman, and Egyptian alike, glared at him. He was taken aback. "Feisty, are we" he asked with a smirk. Glares answered him yet again. "Ok people. Listen up" Exodus began as he started to sway on his heels. "You are all here for a very special purpose. I was watching TV a couple weeks ago and I happened to stumble upon ESPN's March madness show. Does anyone know what March madness is?" Walt, Carter and Percy raised their hands. Exodus pointed at Percy. "Tell me Mr. Jackson,  
What is March Madness?" Percy looked very angry before saying; it's when college teams play in a tournament to see who the best is". Exodus nodded. "Very good my boy, and by the way I'm sorry about our sword fight" Exodus shot Percy a sneer, and he could practically feel the angry that radiated off of the son of Poseidon. Exodus cleared his throat and continued "Now in this tournament, teams play to see who the best is. That's what you're for. To entertain me you will be fighting each other to the death, in a tournament style bracket. I already made the seeding and matchups and everything" Exodus exclaimed. Gasps went through the crowds. Whispers and murmurs were heard in each group. Fearful and angry glance were sent Exodus's way, yet he never changed his expression. "Any questions" Exodus asked. Immediately, a dozen hands were raised. Exodus sighed and knew this was going to take a while.

Half an Hour later, Exodus had answered all the questions. Now the Romans and Greeks knew of the Egyptians and vice versa. Now everyone understood fully what they were doing, and if you didn't cooperate, then your family would be killed, including godly parent or god you were hosting. Everyone got the rules, you would fight someone else in a dome, half the dome was your territory, where you were most powerful, and the other half was your opponents. So now to read the matchups of round one off. "Okay everyone" Exodus began, raising his hand to indicate silence. Every group seemed shell shocked and some were crying in realization of what they had to do. Exodus grinned, for he liked the chaos. "I'm going to read the round one matchups" he called out, snapping his fingers and a paper appeared in his hand, and reading glasses on his eyes. He cleared his throat and then began. "Percy Jackson" he said pointing to Percy who looked down sadly. "Vs…..Reyna Ramos" Reyna burst into tears on the spot knowing that she was dead and would never see Jason again. She looked at Exodus and her expression seemed to say Why Me? Thalia and Sadie began to comfort her, while Leo sat there awkwardly. "On the other side of the bracket, Jason Grace vs. Octavian Caesar". Octavian looked horrified and began to mutter things to himself, and Jason surprisingly looked satisfied which was weird. Exodus continued, "Sadie Kane vs. Piper Mclean". Piper was shaking in her seat as she stared across the gym at Sadie who seemed to be doing the same. "Carter Kane vs. Annabeth Chase". Carter looked sad, as if he knew he was going to kill Annabeth, but didn't want to. Annabeth just stared at the ground. "Frank Zhang vs. Leo Valdez". The two boys looked at each other in fear and trepidation. They clearly did not want to fight each other. "Walt Stone vs. Hazel Levesque". Walt cackled evilly and grinned while Hazel tried to hide, clearly scared. Exodus frowned. There was something up with Walt. His prescience was…Godly. Exodus shook off his stupor and said "Thalia vs. Zia". Neither girl moved a muscle which Exodus found odd. "And finally Nico vs. Amos". Both of them tried hard to hide their emotion but clearly they were scared. "Well, now you know why you're here and who you're fighting. I hope you train well because you have three days until round one begins. Guards take them back to their cells and give them their weapons back. If you try to escape, you die along with your family." With that cheery message, the prisoners were off. "Wait Octavian." Exodus called out. "You're coming with me". Octavian was in a panic and he face clearly showed it. The others sent him pity filled glances, even those who did not know him well. Exodus flicked his hands and the guards led the others away. Exodus sent Octavian a sneer and motioned for him to come here. This was going to be fun.

Octavian grimaced as Exodus summoned a chair next to him and motioned for him to sit down. "What do you want with me" he asked, clearly scared. "I want to know how you know so much about me" Exodus replied. Octavian cackled and said "You truly do not know. You foolish deity. You think you were powerful enough to just come back on your own. You needed a boost. A helpful hand to guide you. A resurrection. There was a haunted look in his eyes as if he knew something Exodus didn't. Anger surged through Exodus's veins. He leapt up and grabbed Octavian by the throat. "Are you saying you resurrected me" Exodus said, voice dangerously low. Octavian struggled, trying to peel Exodus's hands from his throat. He smiled and croaked out "I didn't do it alone. I had …..Help". "Who" Exodus yelled. Octavian shook his head indicating he wouldn't answer and Exodus screamed "WHO". Octavian was about to croak out something when a solider came in and yelled for Exodus. Exodus threw Octavian in disgust as he struggled to get as much air as possible in his lungs. "What solder". The solider saluted and replied "Master Exodus we have a problem. It's your brother….." Exodus paled considerably and Octavian cackled from behind. "Take him to his cell and report back to me" He ordered the soldier who saluted and took Octavian, who cackled and screamed as he was dragged back. Exodus rubbed his temples. He had never thought controlling these prisoners would be this hard.


	5. Preparation

**Chapter 4: Preparation **

Room 1

When Percy, Zia, Frank and Piper returned to their room, they were all shaken up. They knew who they were facing and had trouble believing that this was happening. No one wanted to fight their other. Their weapons all lay on the floor, their chairs gone. Frank wanted to cry. He was fighting Leo who had become a close friend to Frank. Frank also had a sneaking suspicion that he would lose. Leo had fire, which was something Frank was afraid of and never wanted to go near. Zia wasn't too nervous, which surprised her. She was fighting a Greek, someone she didn't know. Ann enemy without a face or identity, she said to herself. A nameless opponent. Percy was horrified. He knew he was going to kill Reyna easily. She was skilled but not enough to beat Percy. He didn't want to fight her, but what could he do? Piper felt nervous. She was fighting an Egyptian, and she had no idea what that girl could do. She really didn't want to fight and lose her friends. After a couple of minutes of thought, Zia broke the silence. "We should begin to train". Nobody moved. Zia repeated herself. This time Percy looked up at her. His eyes were filled with pain but he nodded and reached into the floor. He pulled up his pen, uncapped it and his sword appeared. He nodded at Frank. "Me and Frank and you and Piper" .Piper's hope soared. Zia was Egyptian so this was as good of training as she was going to get. Zia was also happy, for she would get experience from fighting a Greek. Percy and Frank began to spar, sword vs. spear .They clashed differently, Zia noticed, Percy was more erratic, his strikes crazy and unorthodox, while Frank was looking for weakness, studying his opponent. Zia and Piper stared at each other. Zia grabbed her staff from the floor and Piper grabbed her dagger. They circled each other, each ready to battle. Piper struck and the battle began.

Room 2

Sadie, Leo, Thalia, and Reyna returned to their room, Reyna still crying hysterically. She was screaming for Jason to help her. She was panicking. Reyna knew in her heart that she was dead. Percy was too powerful. He was one of the most powerful demigods ever. She would never see Jason again, or any of her friends again. She wouldn't be praetor. All of these thought sent her into a panic. Sadie didn't know what to expect from the Greek girl she was fighting. Her heart was beating out of her chest. She was crazy nervous. She didn't know these Greeks or these Romans but didn't want to fight them. Sadie had a feeling they could be allies in the future, f they could escape this alive. Leo felt horrible. He knew how to beat Frank, with his fire. Frank had always been afraid of him. Leo felt tears form in his eyes, as he realized he would have to kill his friends to survive. Thalia was unsure of herself. What could she expect from an Egyptian? What the hell could they do? Thalia admitted a part of her was nervous, and she had a burning hatred for Exodus, how could he do this? Silence was heard in the room, before Thalia scooped up her electric spear and pointed at Sadie. She was Egyptian, so she would be Thaila's Practice dummy. Sadie seemed to get what Thalia was saying, and picked up her staff. The two walked farther away from Leo and Reyna. They circled each other and clashed. Leo scooted over next to Reyna. She was still crying, but not as much. "It's going to be okay Reyna. You'll win". Reyna laughed bitterly. "I'm fighting Percy Fucking Jackson. He'll kill me with his pinkie." Leo frowned and said "Well we'll die together then. I'm going to lose too". Reyna stared at Leo for a moment before saying "Then let's train together so at least one of us will win". They rose together and reached for their weapons. I'll win for you Jason, Reyna thought to himself. I'll win.

Room 3

Annabeth was shaking with fear. She was fighting an Egyptian. It aggravated her that she was fighting someone whom she didn't know. How powerful was this guy? She was frightened because she might lose and never see Percy again. Or her friends at Camp Half Blood and Camp Jupiter. Tears came to her eyes. She didn't want this to happen, why must Exodus do this? Why? Walt Stone grinned in happiness. He was excited to duel other people. But actually he wasn't. He was screaming inside. Anubis had taken over full control of Walt's body and would stop at nothing to win this tournament. Walt couldn't regain control. This wasn't him, it was Anubis. He didn't want to kill anyone. He was scared out of his mind. He had never wanted this to happen. But now he would never get control again. Everyone would die at his hands. And he couldn't do anything about it. Amos was worried for his fellow Egyptians. He believed they would all be dead soon, for there were some powerful enemies here. He shook himself out of his stupor and began to duel with Walt. Jason walked over to Annabeth. He looked sad and had some tears himself, which surprised her. He usually was so calm and in control of his emotions. This was a different scenario though, one they had never pictured themselves in. They had thought it would be over after the giant war. No though, the fates must not like them. Glancing up, Annabeth saw their two Egyptian friends sparring. The Walt kid grinned maliciously, as he exchanged blow after blow against Amos. He was doing his best to keep up with the other boy, but was struggling. Jason and Annabeth locked eyes. He looked angry and…..happy? It was hard to describe the emotions on his face and in his eyes. Jason glanced away and said "Let's train". Annabeth nodded and grabbed her dagger from the floor. Jason flipped his coin and he held a very long golden lance. They began to exchange as many blows as tears that they had falling from their faces.

Room 4

Carter Kane was scared and horrified. He had to fight someone he didn't know till one of the died. Just the thought of it horrified him. He would kill someone's girlfriend. Someone's sister, someone's best friend. All just to survive. Carter sighed and asked the Octavian if he wanted to spar. He shook his head no and said "We'll all die anyway. You think if you win the tournament, he'll let you go. He'll kill you right there and pick another sixteen people to put in the same scenario". That put a damper on Carter's mood, if it could go any lower. He nodded at Hazel. "Do you want to spar". She nodded and the two rose and grabbed their weapons. They went to the other side of the room and began to duel. Nico just sat there. He was incredibly sad. He didn't want to kill anyone, and it would be his luck to have to fight the one adult of the sixteen. The adult was probably a beast fighter and could easily kill Nico. Nico sighed and thought, at least I can join see my mom in the afterlife, and whoever dies along with me. A depressing thought hit him. Octavian was probably right. Even if Nico beat the odds and managed to win the tournament, he would surely be killed. They were all going to die together. Nico sighed again. It seemed like they never got a break.


	6. Percy vs Reyna

**Chapter 5: Percy vs. Reyna**

Three long days passed for the young demigods and magicians. They would eat breakfast. Train, eat lunch, train, and eat dinner, train. Then came the most anticipated and dreaded day. It was the fourth day, better known as the tournament's beginning. Exodus had woken up very cheerful that day. It was finally time to see what he had been waiting years to see. A battle to see who the best hero was and it all started with Percy Jackson vs. Reyna Ramos. Exodus snapped his fingers and instantly, a TV appeared in every cell, allowing the prisoners to watch the first round. Exodus snapped his fingers, and his soldiers came forward. "Fetch Ramos and Jackson and put them in the arena. The soldiers saluted and went off to do their tasks. Exodus decided to make Percy's half a small island in the middle and water completely surrounding it. There would be hippocampi in the surrounding water. Reyna's side would be much simpler. She'd have a huge dessert for her space, and weapons tables would be everywhere. She would have her dogs, Argum and Argentum. Exodus smiled. This was going to be one entertaining first round.

Percy was nervous as the guards came for him. He turned to each of his cellmates before leaving. Piper gave him a hug and murmured in his ear, "Good luck" before releasing him. Frank was next in line and they did a bro hug. He didn't say anything. Finally, Zia was in line. Percy had gotten to know her over the last three days and she was a good person, Egyptian or not. She gave him a reassuring smile and a hug. With that Percy was on his way.

Reyna was crying a little bit as the guards came for her. She decided to give everyone goodbyes before she left. She went to Thalia first. Thalia gave her a giant hug and said "Keep your head up out there". Reyna just nodded and moved on to Sadie. Sadie didn't know Reyna well but she shook her hand firmly and said good luck. Reyna then approached Leo. She had not been expecting it, but Leo had been the biggest help of all of the last three days. He had kept her spirits high with corny jokes and had helped her train too. They embraced and it lasted for a long moment. Both had tears in their eyes. "Good get em" Leo said to her. She nodded and left for battle.

Percy was shaking in his shoes on his side. He was nervous and really didn't want to kill Reyna, but knew he must to have a chance at survival. Percy was happy though. There was water everywhere. He looked across the dome to Reyna who appeared happy as well. She had a giant dessert to roam, complete with endless weapons. Exodus's voice echoed through the dome "Let the first match of the Exodus's tournament of heroes BEGIN" and with that they were off.

Jason and Annabeth were trying not to watch from their rooms, but they had to. They both knew that they had to watch, to see who would come out alive. Jason was close to tears. He knew Reyna had no shot at Percy. He didn't want his girlfriend to die. Annabeth on the other hand was feeling confident. Percy would come out of this alive, she was sure of it.

Reyna and Percy stared at each other from across the Arena, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Neither of them wanted to fight the other, but they knew they must. Reyna had to come up with a plan to kill Percy and stay alive. She glanced at her surroundings. Exodus had been nice enough to provide her with every weapon she could imagine, all on tables surrounding her. Her dogs Argum and Argentum were also here, and she had her dagger too. What could she do to kill Percy? She glanced around and saw a sniper rifle lying on a table. What if she could just shoot Percy from her side? She picked it up and walked up as close as she could to the water. Taking aim, she smiled. The son of Poseidon's head was in her sights.

Percy, still not moving, glanced up to see Reyna grab something from a table and stalk down to the edge of the water. She lay down

and…took aim? Percy's heart stopped. He remembered all those times he played Call of duty with the Stolls and the weapons they used. Reyna had a sniper and was aiming right at Percy.

Jason was smiling, quite selfishly, as he watched Reyna on the TV. He knew what she was doing. She had a sniper and hopefully, she would shoot Percy dead. Annabeth on the other hand was worried. Her seaweed brain wasn't moving from his spot, and Reyna had him in her sights. Please, she prayed to Athena. Let him live. Let him live,

Percy dove to the left as a bullet flew by his ear. He was still on his island and knew he must get off if he wanted to beat Reyna. So he dove into his water and heard another bullet whiz by him. As soon as he entered the water, Percy grinned. It felt nice to be in his father's domain again. He pulled out his pen from his pocket and uncapped it. Riptide appeared in his hands. He slowly began to swim his way to Reyna's side of the arena, a master plan in his head.

Reyna felt like turning the sniper on herself. She missed Percy _TWICE. _Twice. What kind of daughter of Bellona was she? She quickly scrambled up, knowing that Percy was coming for her. She searched the tables frantically. Which weapon should she use? Her eyes fell upon a pump action shotgun and she grinned. She grabbed it, and yelled at her dogs to attack Percy if they saw him. Reyna flipped one of the tables, spilling all the weapons on it. Reyna hid behind it, poised to shoot, eyes alert. She waited and waited and waited. Where was Jackson? What was he trying to pull? She grimaced and waited. And waited. And waited.

Percy scooped up some rocks from underwater. He had to pray that this plan would work. It was his only shot. He slowly floated to the surface, so he could see Reyna's territory but she couldn't see him. He saw a table flipped and a pair of eyes looking around, impatiently. So Reyna was hiding behind the table, but probably could still fire her gun. Percy prayed to his father that this would work and chucked the rocks far to his left. A gunshot rang out and Percy dashed towards Reyna.

Reyna finally had seen movement. Her dogs roared and went flying to the left. She raised her shotgun, target seen and fired. Something exploded. It was…..rocks? She cocked her eyebrows, confused. Reyna never saw Percy coming. He decked her on the spot and they both went flying backwards, in a tangle of arms and legs. They rolled far away from the tables and separated. Reyna stood up looking at Percy warily and, he had the same look. They began to circle each other, Reyna taking out her dagger, Percy his sword. Reyna sent a quick prayer to Bellona and then she charged.

Annabeth was biting her fingernails, nervous as can be. Percy's rock trick had been genius. He had distracted her dogs, who were nowhere to be seen. He had managed to get Reyna away from all her weapons, and now they were dueling, sword to dagger. Reyna was pressing him, staying on the offensive, so Percy couldn't attack her. Annabeth cringed as a dagger strike was barely deflected by Percy. You can do it Percy she chanted in her. You can do it.

Reyna kept analyzing Percy's weaknesses and striking where she saw fit like a true Roman. Percy's attacks were erratic, and unorthodox. He would swing crazily and Reyna was fighting hard to keep up. They exchanged blow after blow, neither of them landing strikes. Reyna was feeling more confident with each strike. That was her big mistake. Percy feinted up and then went low, uppercut style, knocking Reyna's dagger out of her hand. He put his sword to his throat. Silence. Reyna closed her eyes and prepared for the end.

Jason started to cry as soon as Percy's sword was on Reyna's neck. It was over for her. His girlfriend was about to die. He couldn't watch. He didn't want to lose her. But there was nothing he could do as he watched Percy bring his sword up.

Reyna's dogs couldn't have chosen a better time to strike. Argum jumped on Percy's back, and Argentum took out Percy's legs. Percy screamed in pain as the dogs ripped his skin. He swung his sword wildly at Reyna and it caught her stomach. She gasped in pain as her purple shirt began to soak in crimson. She dropped to her knees and gasped again. Pain was all she felt, and everything was blurry. She watched as her dogs fought Percy fiercely and he struggled to keep them at bay. Her life began to flash before her eyes. She saw Hylla and herself at the spa, and Percy and Annabeth blowing it up. She saw Blackbeard, and then she saw Camp Jupiter. She saw her friends, her being raised on a shield as a Praetor. She saw herself meeting Jason, and their first kiss. Then she woke up. She wearily looked around. Her stomach was still bleeding and Percy and her dogs were nowhere to be seen. Where were they?

Percy had his hands full with the dogs. If there had been one, he was sure he could have handled it. Two, not so much. He struggled to stay alive, as Argum kept going low. Percy had so many cuts on his legs; he could barely move them without feeling pain. He was struggling to rotate, Argentum kept attacking him from behind. His back was ripped up too. Suddenly a voice Reyna's voices rang out, loud and clear "Argum and Argentum, MOVE". The dogs scampered to their master's side. The front of Reyna's purple T shirt was soaked in blood and sweat was dripping on her face. She appeared wobbly, and the revolver she held in her right hand shook. Percy grimaced himself. She looked worse than him, Percy noted. She aimed at Percy and hesitated. She looked at him and whispered "Sorry" Before firing the gun.

Reyna felt like crying, she had killed Percy. She was amazed that she had been resilient enough to do it. So what did she do know? She was pretty sure that Exodus said they fight to the death, then they leave and the next people battle. So why wasn't she leaving? Reyna eyes widened as she realized the trick, but it was too late. She felt the sword go through her back and out through her stomach. She didn't feel the pain anymore though. She felt nothing. Percy lowered her to the ground, tears in his eyes. Reyna's surrounding disappeared and she was just in a gigantic white room, similar to her cell, but larger. Percy was crying hysterically now, as he threw his sword and kneeled down next to her. Reyna felt her eyes begin to close, and Percy said "Stay awake Reyna. You're not leaving me that easy." She smiled a little bit, and coughed out blood. Percy's face was bleary ad turning into Jason's. "Stay with me Reyna" a voice called out. Reyna smiled a little and said "Tell Jason I love him". Then Reyna faded into everlasting blackness.

Jason was crying hysterically in his cell, with no one to comfort him. "No" He screamed. "No". She was dead. Reyna, his everything was dead. This couldn't be happening. Jason made a promise to himself, right then. He would win this tournament for her. He would win for Reyna.


	7. Jason vs Octavian

**A special shoutout to ****Poke Tekken Critic**** for their amazing review.**

**Chapter 6: Jason vs. Octavian**

Tears wouldn't stop pouring out of Jason's eyes. He was usually the calm, brave leader of New Rome who always kept everything under control. But here, in his cell, sadness and angry had overcome all priorities and problems. The need for vengeance was beating hard in his heart. The only way he could do that is if he killed the one Percy loved most. Annabeth. With a sneer, Jason realized that she was just sitting there, staring into space while he held his gladius. He could kill her right now and not get in trouble. It's not like he had a family, other than Jupiter and Thalia, and since Thalia was here, he doubted she would be killed. And frankly, Jason didn't give a dam about Jupiter right now. All he wanted right now was to stick his sword right through her back. He wanted to make Percy feel like he did, and even if Exodus killed him for it, he could be with Reyna for eternity in Elysium. He smiled grimly; revenge was going to be sweet. He began moving towards Annabeth, ready to strike her down. Until the guards came. Out of nowhere, a guard grabbed his waist and began pulling him towards the exit. "No" he screamed, staring into Annabeth's eyes. Just before he was dragged out, he sent her a murderous gaze. "I will kill you Annabeth Chase". With that, he was gone.

Octavian was shaking in his room, as he leaned against the wall. He looked warily down at his knife. It was usually used for ceremonies, so he could foretell the future, but today it would be used for combat. Against him. Against Jason Grace. Octavian smiled bitterly. He had always dreamed about killing Reyna or Jason and taking power of New Rome, and leading them to a victorious win over the Greeks. Now Reyna was dead, and Jason was about to kill him. His dream was turning into a nightmare. Octavian looked around the room, at the others. They all thought he was a lunatic. He was turning into one, admittedly. They didn't understand what he had done, and he barely understood it. He had resurrected Exodus. By spreading his name, Exodus had come to power quicker. After he was done with the sixteen he had brought here, he would kill the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians. It was all Octavian's fault. He grimaced and put his hands over his head, finally realizing what he had done.

The guards dragged Jason's screaming, angry body to the arena. Jason wished he could get out of the hold and go kill Annabeth, and then Percy. Then himself. Jason gave up a couple seconds later. He stopped moving and just sighed, anger still deep in his heart. There was no point in resisting. He would have to take his anger out on the augur that had been annoying him his whole life. Jason smiled and began cackling evilly. Octavian's death would be fun.

Octavian was sweating buckets as he was taken to the arena. He was nervous as heck. He didn't want to fight Jason Grace. He was outmatched and he knew it. Jason had anger driving him. Octavian had no confidence, and no drive. Why did he have to resurrect Exodus? Why hadn't he been a normal boy and not hated the Greeks so much? His plan all along had been to make Exodus kill the Greeks. He failed with flying colors, he thought with bitterness. He was destined to die in five more minutes, and Jason Grace would kill him.

Jason was thrown violently into the Arena and was blinded by the lights. He literally couldn't see anything, so he just stood and waited for the fight to begin, his grief threatening to tear him apart. He wanted to roll up in a ball and cry. He wanted to be with Reyna. He wanted to hold her in his arms, and kiss her, but he couldn't she was gone. Dead. A Skelton. A member of Pluto's realm. Then anger overcame him again. Then sadness. Then revenge lust came over. He was a carousel of emotions, a soup of grief, with a mixture of sadness and anger, and a pinch of vengeance. "I'm sorry Apollo" he said softly, knowing what he was about to do.

Octavian was thrown into a room he couldn't see, because of the blinding lights. He tried shielding his eyes to see, but couldn't see sill. Octavian shrugged. Whatever. He thought about how he'd wronged the Greeks and other Romans over the years. Memories came flooding back to him. Shoving a young Frank to the ground. Calling him an outcast and a graceus. Making fun of Reyna before she became a praetor. Calling her swear words, Latin curse words. Yelling at Hazel. Calling her a bitch, the n word. Making other Romans feel bad about themselves. Being a power hungry demon. Trying to make Reyna make him the praetor to no avail. There were a lot of bad memories that he wished he could apologize for. Suddenly, a loud voice rang out and the bright lights went away. "Let the match begin!" Octavian looked at his surroundings, stunned. He then smiled. It was good to be back.

Jason heard Exodus say the match was beginning, and immediately the bright lights went away. Jason checked out his surroundings and was surprised. He was on a cloud. He was surrounded by other clouds, and the ozone air felt electric on his skin. He cracked the first smile since Reyna's death. He liked his power area. There was only one way up for Octavian, and it was a long ladder that leads from the ground to one of the clouds in the distance. Jason looked over the edge of the cloud and was surprised at what he saw. Octavian's temple from Camp Jupiter sat on the ground. It made sense to give Octavian his temple. It was probably the only place he felt powerful. Jason whipped out his coin and flipped it. His lance was his hand. He wanted the length. Jason grimaced and looked to the ground once more. He had an augur to kill.

Octavian smiled at his temple. It felt great to be back. He saw a pile of stuffed animals, just sitting there, almost beckoning to him, to be cut open. He saw a stack of knives, like the ones he used at Camp Jupiter. He smiled, and a crack of thunder changed his mood immediately. Jason was coming. Octavian had spent too much time reminiscing. He quickly scooped up three knives and tucked them into the waist band of his jeans. He scampered deep into his temple, searching for anything that could help him kill the son of Jupiter.

Jason flew down to the earth, and Octavian's temple. He quietly opened the door, lance ready if needed. No one was in sight. He glanced around, his sense keen as ever. Where was Octavian? He saw a couple beanie babies or something like that, and a single knife lying on the ground. Why would Octavian leave his knife on the ground? Jason watched for signs of trickery and slowly advanced through the temple. He had an augur to find.

Annabeth was crying in her room, watching Jason advance in the temple. A bad part of her was rooting for Octavian to kill Jason, but she ignored it. She was deathly afraid of Jason now. He had promised to kill her. He would most likely attack Percy next, and he wasn't confident in her boyfriend's odds. Please Octavian, she thought to herself. Kill him.

Percy was watching Jason Grace advance through the temple, an angry glint in his eyes. He felt horrible for killing his girl, but it was necessary for their survival. He needed Annabeth to make the championship match, so they could either die together, or hopefully escape and spread the word. He really liked Jason and really despised Octavian, but he was rooting for Octavian. Jason was more powerful than Octavian, and Annabeth would have an easier fight against him. Not that he doubted his wise girl, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Octavian hid behind a bookshelf, watching Jason move through the temple, slowly making his way towards the open door. Octavian smiled at his trick. He had a chance at killing Jason. If he fell for the trick and went through the door, then Octavian would leap out from behind the bookshelf, and stab him in the back. C'mon Jason, Octavian thought to himself. Go through that door.

Jason slowly advanced towards the door, eyeing the bookshelves warily. Was Octavian over there? Jason hoped not as he walked more briskly towards the door. He reached for the handle and paused just before touching it, feeling eyes hit the back of his head. He smiled, knowing exactly what Octavian was doing, and where he was. He grinned and reached for the doorknob, waiting for Octavian to strike so he could kill the augur.

Octavian grinned; Jason was falling for his trick! He was going to kill the son of Jupiter, and survive. He slowly crept towards Jason and the end of the bookshelf. Jason paused and tilted his head as if he were listening to someone. He smiled and reached fully for the doorknob. Octavian jumped up and sprinted Jason's way, a knife glinting in each hand. He raised both up and screamed "FOR APOLLO" as he brought both Knives's towards Jason's head. Only Jason's head wasn't there. It had moved. And instead of Octavian's knives buried in Jason's skull, Octavian had a lance buried in his chest.

Jason smiled cruelly as he grabbed his lance and hefted it up, a mostly dead Octavian still on it. He raised it sky high and screamed "FOR REYNA". Lightning bolts arced from everywhere in the sky and struck his lance. Octavian screamed in pain, and a bright flash of light sparked. When the light went down, Octavian was gone.

Percy grimaced when he saw Octavian get stabbed. Jason had known all along that he was there. It was a nice move, Percy had to admit. He watched Jason raise the lance to the sky, and scream something about Reyna. Lightning came from everywhere and hit Octavian's body. Percy winced. Torture didn't seem necessary. Only it wasn't torture. Octavian's body was gone.

Annabeth sobbed when she saw Octavian's body disappear. When Jason came back to the room, he would surely kill her. She would never see Percy again, or her friends back home. She began to sob, praying to Athena, that she would be protected. She was scared of Jason's power too. He had made a body disappear with lightning. What else could he do, when his emotions were leading him?

Jason felt the tears prick his eyes, as he looked at the now empty lance. He didn't feel like himself. He felt more sinister, but liked the feeling. He almost…..craved it. He brushed the tears from his eyes and spotted a camera that was live feeding the match to the others. He sent a maniacal grin to the camera and said "Jackson and Chase are next". With that he threw the lance at the camera and the camera exploded.


	8. Sadie vs Piper

**Again, a special shout out to ****Poke Tekken Critic** **and ****jkane2039**

**Chapter 7: Sadie VS. Piper:**

Piper Mclean was terrified. Not just at the prospect of fighting an Egyptian in mere minutes, but at her old friend Jason, who was going insane over the loss of Reyna. He had just vowed to kill Percy and Annabeth, two of the most powerful demigods she had ever met. Piper didn't doubt her friend either. The power Jason had demonstrated to make Octavian disappear was horrifying. It made her shudder. Piper wondered who that girl she was facing was, and if she was feeling the same way. She sighed, awaiting the guards, who would lead her to the arena, and maybe her death.

Sadie Kane looked around at the others in her room. Leo and Thalia sat a few feet apart, quietly discussing something, which Sadie found odd. Those two could barely go five minutes without screaming at each other. She crawled over to them and said "Who's this Piper girl I'm fighting" hoping that they would tell her about the other girl. Leo glared at her. "There's no way I'm telling you how to defeat my best friend". He scooted around, so his back was facing her. Thalia smiled apologetically at Sadie. "Sorry Sadie, but my lips are sealed. I can't give away info on a fellow Greek, especially to her opponent." Sadie sighed. She was pretty much screwed and going in blind on this one. She knew nothing about the Greeks so far. She had only watched the Percy vs. Reyna fight to glean info on their fighting style and powers, but the match had given nothing away. The door opened with a flash and two guards stood in the entrance. Sadie's heart rate enhanced, and she glanced back at her room, wondering if it was the last time she would see it.

Piper strode down the hallway, a guard at each hip. She really didn't want to fight this other girl. She had no hatred for Egyptians, and wasn't a good fighter to begin with. The only thing, she had going for her was her charm speak, and when Piper was nervous, it didn't work well, and She was _very_ nervous. She held her dagger in one hand, _Katoptris, _gleaming in the hallway night. How many monsters had she killed with this thing? How many things had she slain and put to rest with this magnificent blade? Now, she was prepared to kill another human being with it. Another breathing, living, alive, strong and desperate human being. How could she tear another person's flesh with this dagger? Piper felt confused, sad and alone. The tears began to form, just as the guards shoved her into another, much brighter room.

Sadie felt so nervous and sad, it was unbelievable. Usually, she was calm and composed, funny and charming when she went into battle. Today was different. She was living in a nightmare, with no escape or miracle ending. She was fighting a girl, whom she knew nothing of. This girl was the daughter of a God. What kind of powers did she have? Sadie knew she was outmatched this time. She wouldn't leave this place alive. Tears came to her eyes, as she thought about losing Amos, Zia, Walt/Anubis, and her annoying but loving brother Carter. She sent a silent prayer to Isis, before being shoved into another room.

Piper was blinded by the light she was seeing. She couldn't see anything, and wondered where she was. The guards were no longer with her, she was completely alone. What was Exodus having her doing now? She hoped the match wouldn't be fought this way, because with her luck, she'd stumble into the Egyptian's knife or whatever weapon she used. Piper was shaking, as she waited for something to happen. She had trained for a while at Camp Half Blood, and on the Argo II, but no amount of training could prepare you for this. Piper thought about the future, just for a moment. Leo would fight Frank. Assuming Piper won her fight, she would weep for hours if Leo lost. Annabeth was in the same position that Piper was in. She was fighting an Egyptian as well. Hazel, Thalia, Nico also were in similar situations. They were all fighting Egyptians. Percy, and Jason had already advanced to the next round, and the prospect of fighting either one of them scared Piper. Reyna and Octavian were dead, and Piper choked up just thinking about it. Piper had been really good friends with Reyna, and now she was dead. Piper had loathed Octavian, but he didn't deserve the ending he had received from Jason. None of them deserved the endings they were going to receive, whether you were the champion of the tournament, or the first one to die. Piper thought about turning her dagger on herself, so she wouldn't have to fight the Egyptian girl or the others. She could escape her nightmare, with a simple thrusting motion. Piper smiled hazily. All of her problems would be gone. She apologized to everyone she ever loved or knew, for dying this way and was about to stab herself when Exodus screamed "LET THE MATCH BEGIN".

Sadie's teeth were chattering, and she was shaking in fear, as she awaited the call that the match had begun. She was anxious for it to start. Part of her was excited. She hadn't faced real combat since the war against Aphorsis. The other part of her wanted to give up. Even if she managed to kill whoever she faced, and win the whole tournament, Aphorsis wouldn't let her go back home and live her life as it was before. She knew too much about the Greeks, and Romans. The Gods had probably shielded them from the others, if they knew about them at all. Sadie wondered what the afterlife would be like, and how the parents would react to her being there. She felt the tears form in her eyes, and threaten to spill out when Exodus screamed "LET THE MATCH BEGIN", and Sadie found herself in the last place she expected.

Piper gasped at her surroundings. She was on the dorm roof of the Wilderness school. It was the place that made her feel the most hopeful, the happiest. She smiled all thoughts of suicide gone. Then, her smile disappeared. Instead of there being a door in the middle of the roof, where she and Jason and Leo would use the staircase to come up here and just talk, there was a door. Just a door. There was nothing beyond that door, as if the world ended right there. Piper glanced around to see if the Egyptian was also here. Nothing. Piper shrugged and crept towards the door, praying to Aphrodite that Egyptians didn't have spells for invisibility.

Sadie opened her eyes to see herself in completely new surroundings. She gasped at what she saw. Instead of being in a gladiator style arena, she was in her old room, from her Grandparents flat. She smiled, as memories came rushing to her. Her room looked very similar to how it had been, last time Sadie was here. Sadie's smile quickly disappeared as she glanced at her door. Light was shining through the cracks of it, giving the door a holy look. Sadie wondered if the Greek girl she was fighting was beyond that door, and waiting to fight her. There was only one way to find out, she thought to herself, as she forged ahead.

Piper advanced steadily towards the glowing door, with renewed vigor and confidence blooming in each step. I can do this, she thought to herself. I can do this. Piper reached for the doorknob and began to twist.

Sadie stepped over, some old clothes of her, still reminiscing about past times. She reached the door and sighed. If she was about to die, she would go down fighting. Sadie reached for the doorknob, and began to turn it.

Piper struggled to get the door to open. It was almost like the doorknob had a mind of its own, and wouldn't open, but Piper didn't mind the challenge. Keep pushing, she told herself. Keep Pushing.

Sadie couldn't get the door to open. She kept tugging and trying to force the door to open, but it wouldn't cooperate. She thought of her family, Carter, Zia and Walt. She would not fail them, and with renewed strength, she began to tug in the doorknob even harder.

Piper felt her anger and impatience growing at the door. Why couldn't she open it? Unless…Piper got a brilliant idea and let go of the doorknob.

Sadie felt the doorknob slacken up quickly and spilled through the door. She laid upon a….roof now and stared into the eyes of her opponent, Piper Mclean.

Piper stared at the pretty blond girl below her, and was surprised. Aren't Egyptians supposed to be tan and whatnot? The girl looked equally surprised to see her. For a full moment they stared at each other, each realizing what they had to do. Then Piper grabbed her dagger and lunged.

Sadie saw the move coming from a mile away. She rolled to the side, as the Greek girl's momentum sent her tumbling onto Sadie. Kicks and punches were thrown. Sadie got the girl good in the stomach, and then received a blow to the face. Sadie's vision blurred, and she hazily saw the other girl straddle her, as she reached for her dagger. Sadie saw her pick it up and drive it towards Sadie's head.

Piper slammed the dagger downward at the other girl's head. Piper didn't know how she did it, but the girl titled her head at the perfect angle. Piper's dagger hit the roof's tile with a clang. The other girl brought her knee into Piper's stomach. Piper groaned and was thrown off of the Egyptian. Piper landed hard, about five feet back. She wearily got up, trusty dagger still in hand. The other girl stood up and stared at each other, a staff of some sort in hand. They just stood there for a moment, eyes meeting, reflecting the same thing: Fright. Neither of them wanted to be here. But only one could win and survive. Piper charged.

Carter cringed as she watched the Greek girl charge at his sister. He hated Exodus so much. Why did he have to do this? Carter felt tears begin to rise to his eyes, but shook them off. A good leader never unnerved under the pressure. He needed to be strong, in case Sadie didn't come out of this match alive.

Leo cringed every time Piper made a move towards Sadie. He had gotten to know Sadie, and how she fought, and if Leo was being truthful with himself, Piper didn't have a shot at winning.

Sadie leapt back, avoiding a dagger strike from her opponent. She wanted to scream. Sadie wasn't a combat magician. She couldn't fight a person with a dagger. The magic twine in her pocket could though.

Piper wanted to scream. No matter where she struck at the girl, she would dodge. Up, down, left, or right, the girl found a way to dodge every strike. It was very frustrating. They were both in another room now, some teenage girl's room. Piper assumed it was her opponents. Then an idea struck her. Her one good power was her charm speak, and she hadn't used it yet. "Stop Moving" She said, her voice full of power and authority. The girl stopped, and Piper plunged her dagger through her stomach.

Sadie literally couldn't move. The girl must have magical voice powers or something. Sadie felt the dagger enter her stomach and she gasped. The pain was horrible and sudden. Sadie felt herself fall to her knees. The Greek girl didn't make any sudden movements. She didn't strike Sadie down while she was vulnerable.  
Instead, she sat on Sadie's bad and wearily stared at her dagger, which was stained in Sadie's blood. "What's your name" the girl called out. Sadie felt weaker with each passing moment, but answered anyway. "Sadie Kane". The girl nodded and said "I'm Piper Mclean". Sadie collapsed on the ground, a coy smile on her face. She wasn't completely drained yet. She just needed Piper to come over, so Sadie could trap her with the twine enclosed in her right fist.

Piper heard a thump and glanced over at Sadie. She was lying on the ground now, withering in pain. Piper felt sad that she had to kill, the girl, but relieved at her survival. She grabbed Sadie's head, and she put her dagger underneath Sadie's head. "Sorry" she whispered. As Piper was about to finish the deed, Sadie's eyes flashed open. Piper was too stunned to do anything. She heard Sadie yell "TAS" and Piper was completely trapped in twine. Her arms and legs were bound and there was a gag in her mouth. Piper fell backwards onto the bed and screamed through her gag, preparing for the end.

Carter thought Sadie was dead, and was stunned by the turn of events that had just transpired. Sadie now had the upper hand, but had to hurry. Sadie's shirt was turning more crimson by the second, and if Sadie didn't hurry, she wouldn't survive her match.

Leo felt tears prick her eyes as he watched Piper wriggle around on Sadie's bed. She was going to die. Leo's best friend was going to die. Leo had already lost Reyna, a close friend over the last couple of days, and now Piper would go to Elysium with her.

Sadie got up unsteadily, staff in hand. All she had to do was kill Piper before she bled out, and she'd advance to the next round of the tournament. Sadie stared into Piper's fearful eyes, and quietly said "I'm sorry" before touching her staff to Piper's head and quietly whispering "Hadi".

Piper felt her body combust. Just explode. She felt her spirit leave the earth, and the last thing she saw was Sadie, stumble and fall onto the bed.

Sadie watched Piper's eyes go wide, and her body literally exploded. She felt bad about killing her, but it was necessary for her survival. Sadie felt woozy, and looked down. Her shirt was completely soaked in blood. She felt herself lose consciousness, and the last thing she saw was a spiritual Piper looking down upon her, inspecting her, almost as if she was determining if Sadie should live or not.

Carter felt tears of happiness. Sadie had survived. Hopefully, she had just passed out, and not died after the battle. She had survived. Carter wanted to jump in glee, but he assumed it would be disrespectful, since there was a Greek in the room, that probably knew Piper. So he just sat there, a huge smile, happiness brimming on his face.

Leo felt like screaming and crying. Two people had been taken from him, in one day. This was just as bad as his mother's death. Leo felt like stabbing Exodus, again and again. This was his fault. So with a pained heart and tears running down his cheeks, he screamed, like a wolf howling in pain, and tried not to think about Piper and Reyna. Two souls in the afterlife now.


End file.
